Jets force issue, but Capitals prevail 4-3 in overtime

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This article was published 23/11/2011 (5069 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WASHINGTON — They have chased more than their share of games this NHL season.

And the Winnipeg Jets are still winless, 0-8-2, when trailing after 40 minutes of play.

Those stats, however, will not tell you about the incremental steps the Jets may be making, a story provided by Wednesday night’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Washington Capitals before 18,506 punchy fans at the Verizon Center.

The Caps, thanks to Jason Chimera’s goal at 1:52 of the extra period, are now 8-1-1 at home this season.

The Jets, however, forced the issue to overtime after taking a pretty good series of blows on Wednesday.

“We handled it pretty good,” said Jets centre Bryan Little, whose goal at 12:36 of the third period pulled his team back on even terms for the third time on the evening. “They were turning it on and throwing some hits and I thought our guys stepped up and were throwing them right back.

“It was good, hard hockey to watch. It’s hard to play in those types of games, so physical. I think we were kind of chasing them all game.”

Washington had five hits when it flopped last week in Winnipeg to the tune of 4-1. Wednesday, the hit total was 35 and the home fans approved heartily.

“They played a lot different tonight,” said Jets coach Claude Noel. “They played with a lot more emotion. That was clear for me. They got energized by scoring early … and by physical hits.

“They got some energy from their crowd.”

But the Jets took a pretty good punch, Noel insisted.

“We responded (well),” Noel said. “Resiliency, I think the character of our team is showing that they want to win the game.”

Jets defenceman Mark Stuart, who saw lots of Caps star Alex Ovechkin on Wednesday, said the difference in the Caps from last week was obvious.

“That was apparent right off the start,” Stuart said. “They were feeling good playing at home but we came back a few times and made it a game.”

So now with points in four straight games (3-0-1), the Jets appear to be making some strides, even though their record remains under .500 at 8-9-4.

“I think it’s good for us because it shows us we’re never out of it and that our will to win is paramount over what’s taking place in the game,” Noel said. “What I liked is that we battled back a few times.”

Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec, who faced an aggressive Washington team on Wednesday and 37 shots, said it used to be that the Atlanta Thrashers would get rattled by the A game of the Capitals in this rink.

“If they score quick, well the game is 60 minutes so you have to put it behind you,” Pavelec said. “In the past, you’d come in here against one of the best teams with one of the best players in the NHL and if they score right away, it’ll slow you down. But I realize one goal is one goal.

“It’s not about the rink. Their players move the puck well. They’re a great team. But we stayed positive. We got a point. It’s fun to play here because the fans are great and we did a great job on our PK tonight and we tied the game on a huge goal in the third.

“I think we have to stay positive; we did some good things in this game.”

A contentious play went the Jets way — some would say finally — mid-way through the third period when Washington forward Matt Hendricks bumped Pavelec back in his crease while Mike Knuble was shooting the puck into the open side.

The apparent goal was waved off for interference, though Caps coach Bruce Boudreau insisted the contact was outside the blue paint.

“Matt was stopped,” Boudreau said. “It’s a dicey call. I wish he had, for a lot of reasons, let him score.”

The Jets collected Little’s game-tying goal within a minute of the play.

“That disallowed goal, it kind of gave us a boost,” Little said. “The game could have been over there but we got a bounce to go our way.”

That’s something that wasn’t happening earlier in the season in games that produced no results.

 

tim.campbell@freepress.mb.ca

Game preview

WASHINGTON — Veteran defenceman Ron Hainsey comes back into the lineup tonight for the Winnipeg Jets, who meet the Washington Capitals at the Verizon Center (6 p.m. CT, TSN Jets, 1290).

The 30-year-old blueliner has been out of action since taking a knock on the head in the team’s fourth game of the season.

He has missed 16 games, an unusual hiatus for a player who has been a veritable workhorse on the back end. In the five seasons prior to this one, Hainsey missed just nine games total.

“You forget how frustrating it is not being able to do the day-to-day things, and you’ve got to get there early,” Hainsey told reporters this morning at Verizon Center, where the Jets begin a three-game road trip. “It sucks for loss of a better term.

“I’m very, very excited to be able to get back now.”

While his head was clearing after the Oct. 17 hit, Hainsey encountered a secondary lower-body issue or injury that slowed his return.

“We ran into another issue when I was coming back and it slowed things down but the good news was that it gave the upper-body a bit more time to recuperate,” he said.

The veteran believes it won’t take him long to get back to an NHL pace.

“You feel it in practice,” he said. “I haven’t really practised against these guys for four weeks until late last week and you can tell you’re a step slow. I’m sure the game will be a step faster than that; it always is.

“Maybe it’ll take a period, a half-period , to get up to that speed because you just can’t simulate it until you get to a game situation.”

Jets coach Claude Noel will likely sit down either Arturs Kulda or Mark Flood due to Hainsey’s return. Both have been steady assets since their recalls from St. John’s of the AHL.

Noel said that Hainsey’s experience opens a lot of doors for the Jets.

“Experience is one thing,” the coach said. “(He brings) some leadership. He’s got speed with or without the puck. He can join the rush. He can bring offence. He can play power play and likely will. He’s a pretty active player on our team.”

Noel said Hainsey is an 18- or 19-minute player easily.

Tonight also marks the return to Washington of right-winger Eric Fehr. The Winkler product was drafted by the Caps in 2003’s first round and played 230 games here before he was dealt to the Jets in a salary-cap move in the off-season.

Tonight, the Caps are expected to bring struggling winger Alex Semin back into the lineup. Semin was a healthy scratch on Monday against Phoenix due to excessive penalties and not enough scoring.

tim.campbell@freepress.mb.ca